LifeX is Copenhagen's Prepackaged Home for Relocators

Since June 2017, LifeX has brought a new concept that every expat moving to Copenhagen will love. Stylish apartments in the city’s cool neighborhoods are rented for short and long term to newcomers from all over the world.

When moving to a new country for a month, a year, or even longer, finding a nice new home, meeting new people, and dealing with all the bureaucratic procedures such registering at the local Citizens Service office or simply opening a bank account is a real struggle. Those who have decided to enter a master’s degree program or have found a new job in a foreign country certainly understand what we’re talking about.

LifeX | Courtesy of LifeX

If this new city is Copenhagen things can get even tougher, especially when it comes to house hunting. Finding a home or a room to rent in the capital of Denmark is a real challenge. Not only are the prices high but even if you have a big budget to spend, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll find your dream house in your dream neighborhood.

Courtesy of LifeX | Courtesy of LifeX

Even though almost everyone shares a house with one or more people, housing is still a big problem in Copenhagen. Some, if not to say most, rooms never get advertised because they’re rented among Danes who have a strong network and even when they do, landlords get a crazy amount of applications so your “describe yourself” text has to be really captivating or you’ll never get a reply back. If that reminds you of job applications, it is because it is a very similar process. Only instead of writing your working experience, studies, and how motivated you are, you have to explain why you’ll be a good roommate, your daily habits, and food preferences, if you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, and how often you plan to invite them to your place (yes, it happens). This renter’s guide will give you an idea of how the housing market in Copenhagen works.

Courtesy of LifeX | Courtesy of LifeX

So the dream of living in a Scandinavian design house in the historic city center or the hip neighborhoods soon fades out and you only wish to find a single room, even if it is in a suburb 45 minutes away from downtown.

Courtesy of LifeX | Courtesy of LifeX

Luckily for newcomers, LifeX has come to change all of these and the dream of living in a stylish house in the heart of Copenhagen is still alive. The co-living space already has four properties situated in the city’s most vibrant and central districts available for people moving in the capital of Denmark. There are different sizes of rooms for singles and couples and all of them are fully equipped and decorated with furniture and items of the upcoming Danish design company HAY.

Courtesy of LifeX | Courtesy of LifeX

What makes it even better is that the people behind LifeX are always eager to help with all the boring and often complicated procedures that have to be done when you start your life from scratch in a new country. They’re well aware that even if the simplest thing such as opening a bank account can be time consuming for newcomers and they want to offer to their community members the chance to enjoy their first few weeks in Copenhagen without spending endless hours in the city’s public services.

Courtesy of LifeX | Courtesy of LifeX

Moreover, they create special events where their community members can meet with each other and share their experiences of their first few days in the cold Scandinavia. Feeling part of a community and meeting people that face the same hassles as you or just finding someone to explore the city with definitely helps the feelings of homesickness go away.

Courtesy of LifeX | Courtesy of LifeX

Well, all that sounds good, but what about the rent prices? With 8,500DKK ($1,340 U.S.D.) per month for the smallest room, LifeX is not the cheapest rent you’ll find. But getting a fully equipped room at these locations with a stylish decoration and most importantly with only 10,000DKK ($1,576 U.S.D.) deposit at a lower price is rather impossible. Usually, for renting a room in Copenhagen, the deposit is three or four times the rent and the minimum price for a single room in a shared apartment in one of Copenhagen’s most known neighborhoods is 5,000DKK ($788 U.S.D.). Plus, there is always the risk of not getting the full amount of the deposit back when you move out.

Courtesy of LifeX | Courtesy of LifeX

With its prepackaged homes, it seems like LifeX has made relocation sound a bit more fun than it already did. Hopefully, it won’t be long until more countries will adopt the concept of co-living spaces, bringing people from all over the world together.